A mother of four, photographer, nature lover. Someone trying to make sense of it all, through photos and stories.

I try to be free in all senses of the word, so I made the leap and now work with what I love doing; taking pictures, storing this life in moments, both for myself and for clients. My heart is in photographing birth and motherhood, but I take on just about any photography job. (See my birth photos at www.birth.no and the rest of my work portfolio at www.mariavatne.no.)

I live on a farm in Norway with my man Nik and my children Ronja, Freja, Falk and Ulv, plus a bunch of animals. We grow our own food as far as the seasons allow it, we don't go to kindergarten, the three youngest ones will be homeschooled.

We govern our own lives, we strive for independence, we want to be in this life wild and free and full of love.

Jan 4 The last holi-day.

It has been a nice Christmas break, with all the things a week like that should contain. And one of the really good things about having a break, is that it makes it good to rejoin with the everyday again, too. The last day out of school was spent faffing about, making stuff (late Movember at Zoo Payne), drawing (can you see Freja's perfect little hedgehog drawing?), enjoying the few rays of sun we were blessed with, and more.
Now, we embrace January with patience in our hearts. Patience, because we know that winter will last a little longer, that the baby will need a little more growing time before coming out, and that life will start blooming on the farm in just a little more time yet.